Some of Today's State News Headlines
Today is Monday January 7, 2008
Candidates line up for congressional seat
CLEVELAND (AP) - Democratic candidate for president Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland faces new opposition - for his congressional seat.
In addition to his presidential campaign, Kucinich last week filed to run for re-election to the seat he’s held since 1997.
Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman, North Olmsted Mayor Thomas O’Grady, antiwar activist Rosemary Palmer and former U.N. worker Barbara Ferris filed to oppose Kucinich in the March 4 Democratic primary.
Also running are Republicans Jim Trakas, a former state representative from Independence, and Jason Werner of Olmsted Township, who lost the 2006 GOP primary for Kucinich’s seat.
Opponents tried to make dual campaigns an issue in 2004, when Kucinich ran his congressional campaign from a tiny office nestled in his west-side district while running for president. He easily won his congressional primary and prevailed in the general election with 60 percent of the vote against two opponents.
(Refer to page 5 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
Bar owners, anti-smoking groups make odd bedfellows
COLUMBUS (AP) - Bars and smoke may seem inseparable partners. But in the first year of Ohio’s statewide smoking ban, an association of bar owners became the anti-tobacco movement’s greatest friend.
It was a strange-bedfellow accident of politics.
The powerful and well-funded Ohio Licensed Beverage Association was fighting to keep fraternal clubs and veteran’s groups - such as VFW halls and Moose lodges - from landing special smoking privileges that the association perceived would give those venues an edge over bars. In the process, the association scored two major court victories that prevented smoking from wafting back into places where it had been prohibited.
To Tracy Sabetta, co-chair of Smoke Free Ohio, which put the smoking ban issue on the 2006 ballot, letting the Ohio Department of Health’s exceptions for veterans’ and fraternal groups stand could easily have set off a domino effect of smoking exemptions.
(Refer to page 6 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
Cincy zoo rhino impregnated by insemination delivers stillborn calf
CINCINNATI (AP) - An Indian rhino who was expected to give birth to the first of its species to be conceived by artificial insemination has instead delivered a stillborn female calf, Cincinnati Zoo officials said.
The 16-year-old mother, Nikki, went into labor at about 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and delivered the calf just before 11 p.m. Saturday night, zoo officials said. Zoo veterinarian Dr. Mark Campbell worked for 20 minutes to resuscitate the calf, but was unsuccessful.
“She never drew a breath,” said Dr. Terri Roth, the zoo’s vice president of Conservation & Science. “This is devastating news, but it won’t change our program.”
Indian rhinos sometimes deliver stillborn calves, especially when it is their first delivery, said Dr. Monica Stoops, the reproductive physiologist who worked for five years to develop the technique that impregnated Nikki.
(Refer to page 5 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
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